Brochure Design Part 2: Make it Understandable

Last week we reviewed making a brochure untossable through design. Now let’s address the next important point: clear messaging. For brochures, good writing is as important as graphical layout. Many organizations try to cram way too much information into a brochure. Your text ought to focus on just one or two main points. Succinct, clear writing is an absolute must.

From a layout perspective there are a few things you should note also. First, distribute the text throughout the brochure in bite size chunks. It’s easier to follow and people are more likely to read it. Also, limit each line of text to eight words and keep paragraphs down to two or three sentences.

Third, use action verbs and active voice in text. If you don’t know what this means, you probably need to hire a good writer.

It’s a good idea to have your writer and graphic designer work together. That way they can coordinate how to send a unified, targeted message to your audience using text and graphics.

Brochure Design: 3 Part Series

There are infinite approaches to designing your brochure and an endless variety of styles a brochure can take. I’ll leave it up to you to decide what works best for you from a marketing standpoint, but there are a few cardinal rules you should remember for any brochure design that will help it be more successful. I’ll be using the next three posts to describe them.

Part 1: Make it Untossable
Okay, untossable isn’t a word, but let’s face it: most brochures get thrown away. It should be your designer’s main priority to make sure yours doesn’t—at least not right away. By using basic design techniques: placement, contrast and color, your designer should make your brochure stand out and be recognizable right away.

I call this approach the billboard philosophy. You only have about three seconds with a billboard on the freeway to send a message before drivers pass it and move on to the next ad. If you have a simple message with strong graphic design, people will remember yours. Use the same mentality on your brochures, and people are more likely to actually open it and see what you have to offer.

A brochure that’s interesting, shocking, funny or different in another way will always be more successful than one that looks professional but not engaging.  Give your designer some room to be creative.

What's in a Name?

Believe it or not, your company name has a lot to do with how you design your logo. Generic names tend to need more graphic elements in the logo design than companies whose names alone set them apart. Simple, short, memorable company names tend to have simple, short, memorable logos as well (and you’ll probably run into less trademark issues since you avoid graphics that might infringe on other company’s logos).

Here’s what to consider when naming your company if you want the logo to look great:

Make it Memorable
FedEx is a perfect case in point. The name is not one you’d easily forget, and the logo—with just text and no icon—is clean, memorable and recognizable from a mile away. This is a good company name that makes for a good company logo (and if you look closely, you can see an arrow between the 'e' and 'x'--a nice touch).

Stay Short & Simple
The IBM logo works because the owners avoided using the full company name: International Business Machines Corporation. How would that logo have looked? Either way too wide to look good on a billboard, or way too tall and jumbled to be easily legible.

And the famous I [heart] NY logo is timeless example of a good logotype. I can’t imagine the logo would have had as much success if it had read: I Love to Visit New York City.

They work because they’re short, simple and easy to remember.

Don’t be afraid of plain logotypes
Having a good business name means you don’t necessarily have to have an icon in your logo. Icons (such as the AT&T globe or the Cingular splat) can be good identifiers, but there’s nothing wrong with using a straight, simple type (known as a logotype) as a logo.